Each Friday, the Digest surveys the burgeoning L.A. restaurant scene and compiles this (highly unscientific) list of the most hyped and heralded restaurants in town this instant. Whether old or new, big or small, near or far, these are the restaurants that have people talking. Whatever that means. Anyway, we recommend getting a seat at these places while you still can.

1. BomboRenowned chef Mark Peel has fired up the steam-kettle pots at his new quick-service seafood restaurant inside Grand Central Market, where you’ll find dishes like steamed clams with sausage, curried shrimp with squash and flaxseed rice, and hearty lobster-broth fish stew with bacon and potatoes.

2. Hamburguesas Punta CabrasThe team behind popular Santa Monica fish-taco spot Tacos Puntas Cabras have soft-opened their new Mexican-influenced burger shop Downtown. Try the house cheeseburger topped with charred green onions and pickled jalapeño “1000 Islas,” or go full tilt for french fries smothered in chorizo-cheese.

3. Bettolino KitchenModern Italian cooking is the name of the game at this South Bay project helmed by Italian chef Fabio Ugoletti, who has a Michelin star under his belt. Redondo Beach fans can now enjoy handmade pastas, pistachio-crusted halibut, and braised veal cheeks in a rustic beach-adjacent space.

4. Ox & SonYou’d be forgiven for overlooking the stellar cooking of chef Brad Miller, given that he’s been holed up in Topanga Canyon at Inn of the Seventh Ray for the past few years. But now Miller is set to make a big splash in Santa Monica with Ox & Son, a Southern-tinged, farm-to-table diner offering soulful dishes like chicken-fried duck confit and Benton’s ham and corn griddle cakes. Kale-weary Westsiders rejoice.

5. BirchFormer Waterloo & City chef Brendan Collins is back in the game with an intimate Hollywood restaurant that’s all clean lines and natural wood. The menu pays homage to the Brit chef’s culinary sojourns, including a take on tikka masala made with monkfish and rabbit baklava with dates. Paired with a suave cocktail list from a M.B. Post vet, it’s an exciting respite off tourist-trod Hollywood Boulevard.

6. Odys + PenelopeFresh off the closure of their acclaimed fine-dining restaurant Hatfield’s, husband-and-wife duo Quinn and Karen Hatfield wasted no time launching Odys + Penelope, a more casual, grill-centric restaurant that channels the type of cooking the Hatfields like to eat in their own home. There are Argentinian-style and Uruguyuan-style grills, offering different levels of char for meats and vegetables, along with a churrasco and a smoker. Don’t forget Karen’s renowned dessert items either.

7. Mint Leaf Indian CuisineThe chef of former Beverly Hills restaurant Tanzore has decamped to an under-served stretch of north Pasadena, where he is serving traditional takes on Indian cooking including vegan dal makhni, spicy Goan curries, and tandoori-roasted lamb kabobs.

8. Steak & WhiskyChef Tin Vuong’s dominance of the South Bay dining scene continues with the opening of his new American-inspired steakhouse in Hermosa Beach. Expect riffs on classics like steak tartare with red curry and Kurobuta pork short rib with white polenta. As the name implies, there is an ample selection of Japanese whiskies–as well as wine, beer, and seasonal cocktails.

9. Knuckle & ClawSilver Lake is getting a dose of East Coast-style seafood with the arrival of Knuckle & Claw, a quaint Martha’s Vineyard-esque restaurant offering buttery lobster rolls (stuffed with a quarter-pound of Maine lobster), clam chowder, grilled cheese, whoopie pies, and more. Owners Nikki Booth and Chloe Dahl (granddaughter of British author Roald Dahl) hope to have their beer and wine license soon, but for now it’s Fentimans soda on the sunny patio.

10. The Lost KnightHigh-end British pub fare is the latest eclectic addition to Echo Park’s growing restaurant scene. Nibble classic Brit dishes like steak pies or fish and chips, or try something lighter like the pastry crust-wrapped Beet “Wellington.” And because of course what would a pub be without beer, the Lost Knight offers an array of locally brewed, British-style lagers and ales on cask.

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